My family and friends ask me how they can keep themselves sane, and healthy, in light of the current health crisis.

“Alright!” – I say. I realize now is the time to reflect on the concept of home, as it turns these spaces serves us as offices, gyms, playgrounds, and santuaries.

My immediate response was to create a set of links that I could share, of the practices – and teachers I trust – that support the creation of sustainable habits. And how they help me keep my immune system rockin’!

How would I be able to choose those that create sustainable habits? I had to investigate why particular practices matter to me in order to find what I learn from them. That would likely help me tap into sustainable health.

Through this research, I now realise that what I learned, through my practices and teachers, is more than a healthy immune system alone.

So I contextualized practices in light of personal development. Each practice develops a soft skill, which is essential for now, and mostly for the future.

In this – very off season – hibernation state, what we develop now comes alive later.

This is a series of short articles, found on the blog page.

Contact Improv and Empathy

For obvious reasons, this practice is not recommended at the moment! But fortunately my teacher, Tom Goldhand is sharing with us, students – on a regular basis – videos that keep us engaged and inspired throughout. 

If you share quarantine with someone else, you’re quite lucky! As you can always play together 🙂 just be mindful and play it safely.

I’m starting off with the most adorable father-daughter contact improv in this TEDtalk by dancer Itay Yatuv where he shares why this beautiful practice matters. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, check the origins of Contact Improvisation, on film. An original from way back in the 70’s! Really old school, but incredible. I’m no where near this level.

So what does this have to do with  empathy?!  – Happy you asked!

Contact Improv brings incredible benefits to on how we behave and communicate in this world, because the dance floor is no different from cities, the communities in which we live in, and even our homes.

Plus our inherent character is expressed through our moving body, and even when we give weight, or yield into. Our behavioural patterns come alive during this movement practice as we make contact with others.

But it does also require some individual practice. Here’s where our rooms come handy, you can also experiment on your own. I’m in love with Milca Leon  fundamental development movements in her video, and looking to explore. She’s very graceful in these movements – maybe just her grace can be inspiring for when we go outside to the supermarket, waitin gin line 1,5 meters of each other. And Mick Jagger and David Bowie got you covered

If you are back home, chill and listen  to my interview with Ria Higler as we talk about movement research. She has an inspiring tale to tell from her own journey, and this is really the base of for persoal growth.
Enjoy!

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Change is a constant of movement!

Through movement practices, I research movement as a healthy practice, but also how it leads to personal development and growth.

The time is now for a reset!

I’ll be sharing more of these online practices – and learnings – on upcoming articles here, and on my instagram @movemetismyconstant – if you are interested please follow. And I appreciate if you do subscribe to the newsletter for insights, and new episodes.

Thank you for reading,
Ana Maia Marques – Founder, Movement is My Constant